Though 46 South Koreans lost their lives when North Korea torpedoed their ship, South Koreans don't want to get in a war with North Korea, which is some of the best news I've read all month.
But the fervor petered out as quickly as it arose. Voters did not rally round their president in Wednesday's local and regional elections. There was no Korean version of the "9/11 effect" that many had predicted. Instead, Lee's ruling Grand National Party was clobbered, stunned party bosses quit in shame and North Korea pronounced itself pleased.
The election results suggest that many South Koreans, even those who are angry at North Korea for the Cheonan's sinking and the deaths of their countrymen, are more concerned about maintaining peace than with teaching Kim a lesson. This is a really good story to read at WaPo
Reason over might:
"There is no winner if war breaks out, hot or cold," said Lim Seung-youl, 27, a clothing distributor here who voted for the main opposition Democratic Party. "Our nation is richer and smarter than North Korea. We have to use reason over confrontation."
